It is popularly known as FARC-EP, its creation took place in 1964 only as a guerrilla-revolutionary of the Colombian Communist Party. The FARC is one of the most capable, equipped and the oldest insurgent forces on the South American continent. It was during the Seventh Guerrilla Conference, in 1982, that the name Ejército del Pueblo or People's Army (EP) was added to the group's official name.
The FARC-EP is headed by a secretary, Manuel Marulanda Vélez, better known as Tirofijo, and six other members, including senior military commander Jorge Briceño, also known as Mono Jojoy. Its organization is along military lines and includes several urban sources. It has approximately 12,000 to 18,000 members of which it maintains a presence in approximately 80% of Colombian territory, commanding much of it, mostly in forests and jungles southeast of the base of the Andes Mountains.
In many countries the FARC is classified as a terrorist organization. But it proclaimed itself a Bolivarian-inspired Marxist-Leninist political-military organization. The FARC claims to represent the rural population against the wealthy classes and opposes US influence in Colombia. The organization argues that these goals motivate the group's efforts to seize power in Colombia through an armed revolution. According to the US government, the FARC obtains funding mainly through extortion, kidnapping and drug trafficking. The majority of FARC fighters and informants are minors, it is estimated that around 20 to 30 percent are under 18 years of age.